Oakridge Neighborhood has announced plans to build a mixed-use development on a vacant parking lot adjacent to its administration building that leaders say will enhance the organization’s mission to provide housing while filling service gaps in the neighborhood.

The Cynergy development will add much-needed housing, provide a workforce pipeline and help remove barriers to success that low-to-moderate income families face, said Deidre DeJear, president and CEO of Oakridge.

The development, called Cynergy, will likely include two buildings that will feature 33 total housing units, many of them three to four bedrooms to accommodate the needs of families. It will also create a wellness hub that could feature a financial institution, a braid bar, a med spa and a dentist, DeJear said.

Oakridge recently signed an agreement to purchase the 1.8-acre parcel at 1230 Oakridge Drive from Mainframe Studios. The site is behind the Maverik store on Keo Way near downtown Des Moines.

“Oakridge had been in discussions with Mainframe prior to my arrival about potentially collaborating on the property and after I got here their new executive director reached out to me to reignite that conversation,” said DeJear, who joined Oakridge in October 2024. “I spent a little time looking at our history and what was originally planned for the property, and spent some time talking with folks in our community and people on our team about what could happen with this property.”

DeJear said part of that process included assessing community needs and how Oakridge was meeting those needs.

“And it became very clear that we had a variety of offerings that could benefit and advance the community,” she said. “But there was a space I like to engage in where we weren’t completely, totally invested and that was around low- to moderate-income individuals. We definitely benefit moderate-income individuals through workforce, through our preschool and through our early childhood education. But when it comes down to housing, we were kind of limited in what we could offer.”

While Oakridge has some market-rate housing on its campus, most of its residents use Section 8 vouchers. The Silver Oaks building for residents 55 and older is income restricted. The Cynergy development will help Oakridge better meet the needs of low- to moderate-income families with a focus on three- and four-bedroom units, an area where a gap exists and often results in overcrowding in the community, DeJear said.

Six of the units in Cynergy will be three or four bedrooms, and 60% of the total units will be income restricted.

Tenants will also have their rent reported to credit bureaus so they can help build their credit and begin the path to homeownership, she said.

What makes Cynergy unique, however, will be the approximately 10,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor, she said.

“It really gives us an opportunity to enrich this community with more vitality and small businesses and in turn it will help us offer some affordable rental opportunities for small businesses and create a workforce pipeline with the businesses that will be in that space,” DeJear said. “I believe we are in a position to not only add housing, but also a few more amenities to the community and allow a space for people to get gainful employment.”

The Cynergy development also has easy access to Oakridge’s preschool, which is located next door.

DeJear said Oakridge prides itself on building an ecosystem that strengthens the community, and she believes the Cyngery development will further advance those efforts.

The development supports the city of Des Moines’ Citywide Housing Strategy by expanding housing choices for low- to moderate-income families and placing new units within walking distance of public transit and daily services. The housing and amenities it will offer also fosters connectivity and inclusive neighborhood growth, DeJear said.

The Cynergy development is advancing through a public, private and philanthropic partnership, she said.

Polk County and the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines both contributed $200,000, and Des Moines contributed $25,000 toward the purchase of the site.

The estimated cost of the project is $16 million, which DeJear said will be raised through a combination of state and local funding and private donors.

“We want to make sure we’re maximizing our potential, and while we know there’s more than 10,000 more [housing] units that are needed in the community, we’re just chipping away the best we can,” she said. 

DeJear said that the amenities and services the Cynergy development will offer will be available to anyone in the community.

She said Oakridge is targeting a fall 2027 groundbreaking with completion by late 2028 or early 2029.

“There is research that shows that 70% of the people who struggle at work are struggling because of economic duress, whether that’s financing or housing,” DeJear said. “This is a stabilizer in our community. This is 33 more families that can access that stabilization long enough to truly advance and get them out of a cycle.

“It’s not always about a cycle of poverty. It’s a cycle of demand that you have in your life. It’s the demand of always responding to an emergency or a challenge you have to accessing food, water and shelter, and we’re eliminating that through this.”